food for thought

breath in and smell the fresh scent of a brand-spankin' new month!!! july, wow!! i truly feel like 2009 just got here, but with the craziness that comes with being a wife and mama time really does fly.

i am inspired to let you all in on my grocery list and menu for the family, seeing how it is 97.887% all natural and organic. and while this isn't always easy, in fact it is time consuming, i totally feel content and thrilled to know that while the POK are scarfing down their food it is wonderfully healthy and is actually contributing to their overall well-being!!

you're excited aren't you?! well, get to reading and i hope this motivates you to start out on the organic/all natural cooking and snacking...

in order to be as good of a steward as possible with my grocery budget (and my Man is completely generous with the grocery budget since buying all natural/organic is a tad more money than purchasing processed, not real foods, ahem, sorry for that little outburst), i attempt to shop for 2 weeks worth of food. i am totally addicted to WM super stores and the more i go the more money i am likely to spend, so i cut out more trips=spend less and save more! i do make a quick trip to the store about 7 days in for more fresh fruit, sandwich meats, fresh veggies and milk or i make every effort to get out to the weekend farmers market!! so when i headed out to the store this past weekend with my menu with needed ingredients, here's my list of planned meals:

Oh Baby! Pasta with Shrimp, Tomatoes & Arugula

Chicken Parm Stoup

Poppy Chicken with Smashed Potatoes & veggies

Mac-n-Cheese-n-Burgers & veggies

Tomatilla & Chicken Quesadillas

good ole Spaghetti and Meatballs & veggies

Breakfast night (consisting of pancakes/eggs/bacon/fruit)

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon & Chessy Noodles & veggies

Tilapia Club Stacks

Pizza & Spinach Salad

Catalina Chicken with Rice & Broccoli

Burrito Bake with Salad

i realize that i'm missing a couple meals for this 2 weeks but i'm writing this without my menu in front of me, so please forgive my forgetfulness!! :)

now i believe i've raved about my love of all Rachael Ray recipes in a previous post, but i will gush again because i love how that girl can whip up an outstanding, homecooked meal in only 30 minutes. i seriously can't get the cooking done that quick, and while i love ms.Ray, she doesn't have a 2 year old (well 'K' will be 2 tomorrow!!! but more on that later!) hanging on her apron, a Great Dane puppy literally running in between her legs chasing the 2 year, the cell phone beeping me letting me know that MckMama has tweeted again (which i love getting, not complaining MckMama), my lil' Lou-Who girlie skipping from the living room, to the dining room, through the kitchen all while practicing jump-roping, with 'P' bounding through dribbling a basketball....whew!! how do i ever get anything cooked now that i think about it? i digress, so i don't get it done in 30 minutes, more like 45 minutes, but still not too bad. and she, ms.Ray, has 15 minute menu ideas and those i can typically get done in 30 minutes.

here's just a glimpse of the rowdy little 'K' during dinner prep being Buzz Lightyear and then having a meltdown... come one babe, walk it off!!

i've gone through all this to say this: it is possible to plan out your menu for a week or 2 weeks, just stick to your list. and to add Posse of Kiddos input, i let the big kids look over the menu and pick what they'd like to have and when. it's fun, they appreciate being asked since many things as a kid aren't within their ability to control, and while they many times take a look at the new food on their plate and say "this doesn't look good.."no try again, you have to say it with a really good whiny-ness in your voice...great, you did it just like lil 'Lou-Who'!! (hee, hee..love you sis), they have discovered many new food and recipes that are quickly becoming favorites.

i also purchased snacks for the next 2 weeks such as: tons of strawberries, even more blueberries, like a million pounds of grapes for 'K', celery with spinach dip or hummus, all natural vanilla yogurt, granola, oh yea lots of apples and nectarines, Annies bunny crackers, natural cheese sticks, baby carrots, cucumbers, popcorn, lots of nuts like cashews & almonds. i know there's more but my brain is blinking out on me, darn sinus infection/migraine.

i promise i am really going to keep up with letting you in on my bi-weekly shopping lists and menus and maybe you can leave me a comment with your fav meals to cook so i can try something new, too